I have a 93 Maxima SE with 160,000 miles and I have a slight clicking but it's not very loud. I have never had the VTC's replaced and the car still feels pretty powerful except for some hesitation when letting out the clutch in 1st gear. Is it odd that I have made it this long without having the VTC's replaced? I have been using Synthetic oil since the car was 5,000 miles old. Could this have helped?

 

yes.
good mainteance will always help the car in the long run.

 

It's not odd at all...I have 145,000 miles, and I have never heard a tick....oh wait, oh I forgot...VG power!!!!!

 

i have no ticking...but i've only had the car for about 15k miles...mightve been repaired b/f i got it....but there r people on the org that dont have the prob besides me n u

 

mine's getting worse now (200k)...it comes on when the needle moves a notch from cold, then it's gone...then when it hits the normal temp, it goes on for another 5min, then goes away. it's scaring me.
yeah, i grounded the vtc. yeah, there's no power in the low rpm. it sucks
Jae

 

You are the one. Good for you if the ticking hasn't started, kinda makes you wonder if you just jink yourself. I also got my car with 28K and I've always used Mobil 1 and my ticking started just over 100K. About 3K miles ago I rebuild both my VTC along with other items and I've been happy ever since and the car has 115K. I can tell you from my experience, when I first started hearing a ticking noise the first thing that came to my mind was "please no, don't let it be" Like all the post I've been reading about "My VE is making a ticking noise" then they give example of the noise hoping it's something else trying to hold on to that last hope. IMO if a VE starting to make a ticking noise it's either one of two things, exhaust manifold studs or VTC which are both common to fail. Of course it can be other items, but with these two failing so commonly it's highly unlikely. After driving with a failing VTC for so long, it's like a whole new world driving without the ticking. I can actually hear the birds chiring again, it's so quiet At one point I was embarrase to start my car and drive thru the neighborhood, the sound of the car just didn't match the looks. Anyway, both VTC bebuild, all exhaust studs changed, oil pump pressure regulator valve shimed, new H2O pump, except for valve stem and rear main "all" other seals/gaskets were changed. I've read if VTC wasn't rebuild correctly it wouldn't last has long as new VTC, but $350 for all my parts and I did my own labor it's well worth the chance.

 

yeah, i know about the "embarassing" thing...i get looks and somebody asked if I converted from gas to diesel. lol!
yup, i got both exhaust leak and vtc clicking...it's now wonder i have no low rpm grunt.
Jae

 

knock on wood

 

thanx for the clear and precise info.

approximately how long did it take you to do the VTC rebuild and the exhaust studs... cuz im about to tackle it myself..
did you go by the TSB instructions...

BTW..kickn body kit,,,what kind is it.. yours looks bettah than the ones ive seen around.

ciao

 

It took me about 5-6 days to complete my project, taking into account I was working 40+ hrs a week and I did this after work in the garage. At one point I had to wait a day for some parts to come in. I got a "special edition custom made" body kit from Stillen it was personally made to fit my car. Honestly, it's just the basic kit from Stillen, later.

 

Mine are still good.

*knock on wood*

No really, I just did.

 

I guess I have been lucky.......

Just as I say this, I was driving in to work this morning and punched it at the bottom(maybe 2000 rpms) of 4th gear and the whole car shuttered. I puched it again and it shuddered. I then shifted to 3rd gear and it grabbed. I haven't had that happen before.

Does it sound like my clutch is about to say goodbye?

I thought it could also be a bad plug or a coil(haven't replaced them yet)

I am also wondering if the K&N air filter caused the MAF sensor to go hay wire....

Has anyone had their car shudder like that?

 

Okay, being new to the VE world, I am happy to say that my VE has 118k and no VTC's still work. I dread the day they start to fail. I have had the car for a month now and I have absolutely no prior service records for it. I am starting new on this one and I want to take care of it correctly. What are some preventative measures I can take to avoid or prolong the failure of the VTCs? Also, I get a little hesitation in the engine at low end, but I think it may have something to do with my slipping clutch. Not certain though. But as far as the VTCs go, I am lucky to have found this car in such good condition for $2200 with working VTCs

 

wish i got my bondo filled car 4 that much...u is lucky!!! my only suggestion is to pm eric about the o-rings he ordered and maybe get some of those...the way he explained it another part of the problem on the vtc's is the o-rings dont seal properly over time b/c of extreme heat...i have a pair of the ones that he ordered, but havent gotten around to puttin them in yet...no ticky 4 me either!!! start a club!

 

Sold my 92 SE 5 2 months ago.
Had 155,000 miles and NO VTC tick at all!!!
Great car and hated to part with it but it was time
and couldn't pass on another car.

 

Mine are still good at about 130-ish thousand miles. I think it has to do partially with luck, and with how well the car has been maintained with oil changes. That's what I figure saved mine, but I'm the 3rd owner...

 

i have 160k also and mine dont tick either.i use AMSOIL ow-30 and a K&N oil filter every 3 months.

 

mine are bad and i am waiting on a factory service manual so that i can do the work my self. is it harmful to drive with them ticking, or is just annoying

Laly

 

You may want to check your ignition coils. My 92SE did similar thing couple of years ago. It started with one cracked coil. Replaced and ran fine for another year. Same hesitation problem when stepped on gas. Took it to a dealer and they replaced two more coils. It worked for another 6 months and same thing happened again. I ordered three more coils from Courtesy Nissan and got them all replaced. It has been running fine since then. I believe the coils have a life time at around 120k miles.